


Rain Amell Origin Series

by kscho



Series: Rain Amell Origin Series [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dragon Age - Freeform, F/M, oh boy here we go - Freeform, prepare for angsty Amell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 02:24:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16108817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kscho/pseuds/kscho
Summary: My take on the Amell origin story for my OC, Rain Amell. Includes origin based on the game as well as Rain's magic manifesting as a child.





	Rain Amell Origin Series

Jowan sauntered over to Rain and sat down next to her on the bench. “Why the long face, Rain? Is it your research? Hit a dead end?”

“No,” she snapped as she pushed aside her chopped and steamed carrots with her fork. “Yes. I don’t know. I haven’t tested anything yet.” Rain sighed and pushed aside her plate, letting her head fall to her arms on the table. “I can’t get what I need to do a real experiment. I would ask Irving to allow me to walk ten feet out of the tower, but...you know…”

“Testing and experiments! You haven’t even told anyone what you’re doing! No wonder Irving won’t let you outside! Especially after-”

Rain lifted up her head. “You know, I don’t have to sit here and feel worse about myself with your help. I can do that on my own. I already do it on my own.” She made to get up.

“Rain!” Jowan pleaded halfheartedly. “Stuff it, Jowan,” Rain muttered. “I’m going to bed.” She gathered up her books and papers in her arms and trudged upstairs to the dormitories. Nearly fuming at the ears, she threw her stuff in her trunk and slammed it shut. A few apprentices glanced her way. She could never figure out if they were afraid of her aggressive attitude or simply tired of it. She was never happy in the Circle, not really. Sure, she could laugh and drink and smile from time to time, but her bitter resentment always returned like a spirit too stubborn to return to the Fade.

Rain opened her trunk again and grabbed a book, a simple but entertaining novel that she had read over a dozen times. She pushed it under her pillow and laid down on her back, staring at the bunk above her. Time passed at a glacial pace, but she had disciplined herself over the years to be patient. Patience gained rewards. Slowly, but surely, all the female apprentices of the tower filtered back to the dormitory, talking idly and drifting off to sleep in their bunks. Rain listened to a few of their conversations but ultimately thought nothing of them. She waited over two hours after the last talk had died out before sliding out of bed, grabbing the book and tucking it securely in an inside pocket of her robes.

The tower was insanely dark after lights-out. All apprentices were expected to stay in the dormitories. Senior Enchanters had the leisure of coming and going as they pleased, having earned the trust of both First Enchanter Irving and Knight-Commander Greagoir alike. Still, the templars that guarded the tower after lights-out were a skeleton crew. Usually one templar per floor, two if there had been a break-out recently. Rain smirked to herself. Those times were usually her fault.

She crouched near the door, listening closely for the jangle of armored boots on the floor. Rain held out her hand and called a small spirit to the world. It glowed brightly as it winked into existence and in a panic Rain waved it into the folds of her robe. She shushed it quietly and let out an uneasy breath as its light was reduced to almost nothing, like a shadow in the flickering light of a torch. She let the spirit out and held a finger to her lips. It was a tiny wisp, a little flame of blue light that bobbed and blinked to communicate.

“Tell me if anyone is out there, okay?” Rain breathed, guiding it to the crack under the door. It gave a quieted whistle and slipped away. She let out another breath and closed her eyes momentarily. Lesser spirits were simple, but didn’t always know the value of being undetected. Their excitement they felt towards the physical world sometimes overwhelmed then, drawing unwanted attention. It never failed to make the templars uneasy and jumpy. When she was younger and being trained to control her spirit medium powers, Rain had snapped at the templars a countless number of times. Being more sensitive to the Fade and more adept in the arcane arts, Rain was a high risk mage. She was given the second look. She was checked in on randomly. She always had more than two templars watching her as she practiced magic, more than three if it involved spirit magic. She was watched over day and night when she was younger simply because she was mistrusted for what she was.

The thought of it all brought a slight simmer of anger to her mind, and she almost didn’t notice when the wisp returned. It sank in the air and jostled up, spinning. “Really? No one?” she asked. A blink of light was her answer. “Good. Wanna come with me?” The spirit whistled and spun again, seemingly excited. “Okay, but you have to be quiet. No attracting the templars. Let’s go.”

Pushing the door open just enough to slip through, Rain waited for the spirit to follow before closing it deftly behind her. She thanked the Maker the dormitories were the closest to the dungeon, and not several floor above like the Senior Enchanters’ quarters. Keeping her eyes and ears open, Rain snuck down the stairs, always checking to make sure the wisp never got too distracted or lagged too far behind. A spirit on the loose in the middle of the night made for a tough explanation. Farther down they went, down into the darkness of the tower. When the torches ceased, Rain slipped a glowstone from her pocket, clutching it tightly as they near the dungeon.

Peering around the corner, she saw only one templar on duty. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw who it was: Ser Lenora. Rain knew her, and was only one of two templars she trusted. She was an older woman for a templar, in her mid-fifties, but she had a young personality, all sassy remarks and lighthearted humor. She was the only person who had admitted to Rain that she had joined the templar order because she had found magic fascinating and wanted to see it up close every day. She was a friend, and a close one at that.

Lenora had heard her sigh, looking in her direction with a small smile. “I know you’re there, Rain,” she said. “I’m not reporting you tonight, you can come out.”

Rain stood up and approached her, taking the open seat opposite of Lenora at the small table. “Doing okay, Len?” she asked, looking the templar up and down. She seemed tired, worn normally up in decorative braids, now hung loose around her shoulders. She had forsaken her breastplate for comfort, leaning back low in her chair.

“I’m always okay, Rain,” she answered with a passive wave of her hand. “Are you here for Anders?” Rain nodded. “He’s in the last cell on the left. I tried to get him a closer one, but Greagoir wouldn’t hear it.” She glanced over Rain’s right shoulder. “Who’s your friend?”

The spirit floated over Rains shoulder and hovered in front of Lenora. It seemed to be studying her in some way. “Just a spirit,” she said. “Had to make sure I wasn’t caught on my way down here, you know?” He can keep you company if you want. All you have to do is keep him entertained.”

“Him?”

It was Rain’s turn to wave a passive hand. “Give me a break, Len, I’m a spirit medium,” she muttered, getting up and pulling out the glowstone again, striding down to the last cell on the left. “Lenora?”

“It’s unlocked.”

Rain shook her head, grinning. How did Lenora know her so well? Probably because she watched her grow up. Rain slid the latch aside and pulled open the heavy door, holding up the glowstone to shine light in the darkened hole of a cell. A man in his mid-twenties sat against the far wall, raising a hand to his eyes to block the light. His blond hair was matted horribly and almost too dirty to be recognized as blond. His looked skinnier than she remembered.

“Anders?”

“Hey, Rainy Day,” he croaked, moving his arm so he could smile and wink weakly at her. Rain put the glowstone down and kneeled next to him, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him close. “You shouldn’t sneak down here just for me.”

“I know,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “Try and stop me, though.”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t dare. Let me look at you.” His bright eyes darted up and down. He poked her right cheekbone. “A scar, Rainy Day?”

Rain shrugged, smirking. “Experiment gone wrong. Not mine, though, I just didn’t bother to stand far enough away. The templars were furious, let me tell you.”

“Jowan?” Rain nodded. “That boy needs to be careful.”

“You have the attitude of a boy, _boy_ ,” she sassed, moving to sit next to him. “Want to hear how my week has gone?” “It’s not like I’m going anywhere, Rain.”

\-----

“I can’t keep doing this,” Lenora mumbled, running a hand through her hair. She looked years older than before.

“Sorry,” Rain apologized. “I know it’s hard for you to get down here alone and it’s a huge risk to let me in, but I can’t just leave Anders to-”

“No, Rain, I don’t mean you coming down here.” She sighed deeply. “This.” She gestured to all around them. “The Circle. The templars. I just...can’t.”

Rain studied her for a moment. Lenora’s hands were shaking. There was a thin layer of sweat across her whole face. Rain reached out and touched her arm lightly, finding her skin cold. She pulled her hand away. “It’s the lyrium, right?” she asked quietly. “You’re addicted.”

Lenora looked up at the mage. Her eyes were full of desperation and depression. “I thought I could work through it. Maybe just ignore it, stretch out my doses and thought maybe, just maybe I could go back to normal. Nothing works.”

Rain sat up straight. “Wait a minute…” she muttered to herself. “I think I can help you, Lenora.”

“How? Did you somehow find the cure for lyrium addiction on one of the crumbling books of the restricted section?”

“No. I made it. But… Dammit!” Rain smacked the table. “Greagoir will never let me outside to get what I need.”

“Which is?”

Rain shook her head. “A plant. Flowers, preferably.”

Lenora cocked her head. “And...how exactly does this help me?”

Rain rolled her eyes impatiently. “Look. For years I’ve had this idea of imbuing flowers with healing magic. I only just got started on the theoretics of it a few weeks ago, but I’ve never had the chance to actually test it.”

Lenora stood up abruptly. “I can help you there, Rain,” she said. “I have a flowerpot up in my room.”

“Of what?”

“Lily-of-the-valley.”

“Fucking perfect!” Rain exclaimed. “Yes! After all these fucking years, I can finally…” She trailed off, caught in a memory.

Lenora noticed her silence. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing, Len, just...something from my past.”

Lenora sat down again. “I’ll make you a deal. You can have my flowers if you tell me what you’re talking about...and you do me one favor.”

Rain sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Okay, fine. What’s the one favor?”

“I’ll tell you after you share your story.”

**Author's Note:**

> More chapters to come. I'll finish up the entire origin itself and possibly include some side pieces.


End file.
